DRINKING WATER
Why Multi‑Commodity Utilities Need Smart Meter Data Management
Breaking down data silos allows multi-commodity utilities to improve operational efficiency and infrastructure visibility. By managing water and electric data on a shared platform, providers can detect leaks faster and support long-term conservation goals.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![SPIE Photonics West 1200x630]( "Spotlight On Reclaimed Water Regulations: California")
Spotlight On Reclaimed Water Regulations: CaliforniaTechnological advancements play a crucial role in shaping reclaimed water regulations, as new methods for treating and reusing wastewater emerge.
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![flushing-in-progress]( "Hydro-Guard Flushes Out E. Coli In Liberty Lake, WA")
Hydro-Guard Flushes Out E. Coli In Liberty Lake, WAWhen a water quality test came back positive for E. coli, Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District immediately implemented a series of daily flushing and chlorinating efforts with a boil water advisory in effect for 7 days that had people on edge for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities.
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Alaska WTP Takes Control Of Water Quality With UV254
With the ongoing concern about water quality in Alaska, Philip Downing, the Remote Maintenance Worker for South East Alaska Regional Health Consortium, offered a new approach to a plant’s ability to continuously monitor and adjust treatment processes in response to changes in raw water quality.
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![GettyImages-1302573288_450_300]( "5 Questions To Ask When Selecting A SaaS Metering Data Solution")
5 Questions To Ask When Selecting A SaaS Metering Data SolutionSaaS technologies for metering data management (MDM) offer opportunities well beyond sending bills. But water utilities first need to understand their options before choosing a provider.
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![article-4-feature]( "Addressing Water Treatment Challenges Faced By Potable Water Utilities")
Addressing Water Treatment Challenges Faced By Potable Water Utilities“Emerging Contaminants" can be broadly defined as any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical that is not commonly monitored in the environment. These substances have the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects.
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![Kasco-CertiSafe_-WhitePaper-Why-Should-I-Install-a-Water-Storage-Tank-Mixer-2]( "Why Should I Install A Water Storage Tank Mixer?")
Why Should I Install A Water Storage Tank Mixer?Throughout my experience, I’ve tried countless ways to ensure my drinking water was of high quality. By far, the best, most efficient, and effective way I’ve found is by using an active water storage tank mixer.
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Legionella: The “Quiet Pandemic"
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that many people have forgotten about Legionella, which has been described as a “quiet pandemic” by legislators in the United States. While the focus of many government health authorities has been to react to and reduce the impact of COVID-19, the many stay at home orders issued, and the increase in employees working from home has been ideal for Legionella bacteria present in cooling towers in commercial systems.
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![Repair Of Failed Bolt Coupling Connection From Pit Cast Iron Pipe To High Density Polyethylene Pipe]( "Repair Of Failed Bolt Coupling Connection From Pit Cast Iron Pipe To High Density Polyethylene Pipe")
Repair Of Failed Bolt Coupling Connection From Pit Cast Iron Pipe To High Density Polyethylene PipeOn December 25, 2017, a leak was reported to the Colorado Springs (Springs Utilities). The Crew members excavated and exposed the pipe discovering a leaking 24” bolted transition coupling joining 24” Cast Iron Pipe to 24” High Density Polyethylene Pipe. Read the full article to learn how JCM Industries worked with the utility to repair the leak in a timely manner.
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![recycling sign.jpg]( "Reassessing The Value Of Water Reuse In Process Efficiency")
Reassessing The Value Of Water Reuse In Process EfficiencyIn many industrial applications, water is not part of the final product but an important process facilitator — for cooling, cleaning, etc. Like energy, it can quickly become a major expense and, therefore, an important target for cost control. As potable water supplies tighten or become increasingly expensive, reuse is becoming a more attractive alternative. Here is some of the information needed to evaluate the opportunities it offers.
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![ThreeparallelASWPipelines]( "AMERICAN Spiral-Welded Steel Pipe And Big Easy Flood Control")
AMERICAN Spiral-Welded Steel Pipe And Big Easy Flood ControlIf you think Hurricane Katrina was the first time New Orleans suffered major flood damage, think again. Flooding has been as much a part of New Orleans’ 300-year history as jazz, jambalaya and French Quarter juke joints.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Cloth Media Filtration Removes Coal Ash And Coal Fines At Power Plants1/15/2019
Coal-fired power plants generate coal fines and coal ash from a number of sources, including coal combustion residuals (CCR), particularly fly and bottom ash from coal furnaces, and coal pile runoff during rain events. In support of an industry-wide effort to reduce, improve, and remove coal ash ponds, a variety of technologies have been tested and employed. Read the full application note to learn more.
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Application Note: YSI Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring And The IPSWATCH-EMPACT Program12/28/2005The Ipswich and Parker Rivers watersheds lie only a short distance north of Boston, MA. The first settlements in these watersheds began in the early 1600s. Since that time, residents have relied heavily on the natural resources of the Parker and Ipswich Rivers, their coastal estuaries and Plum Island Sound, which is known as the Great Marsh. This ecosystem has been designated and protected by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
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Hydrogen Sulfide Removal From Water Using AquaSorb® CX-MCA2/19/2014
The “rotten egg” odor in some water supplies is caused by sulfide in water. Sulfide can be treated using oxidation techniques, the goal being to convert the sulfide to high oxidation state species such as sulfate to eliminate the taste and odor concerns. Traditional oxidation techniques such as ozone and chlorine can be used, but can be expensive due to the equipment required to add and monitor the oxidant, and can lead to by-products such as trihalomethanes (THMs), which are regulated in drinking water supplies.
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Lab Gas Sub-Metering Accuracy Improves With Thermal Flow Meters To Save Money12/1/2017
Facility administrators will find the advanced ST100 Series Thermal Mass Air/Gas Flow Meter from Fluid Components International (FCI) helps them improve the accuracy of specialty gas point of use and sub-metering operations to achieve accurate billing in their labs for better cost tracking and control.
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UV Technology Offers Solution For Emerging Water Crisis2/19/2014
Many are turning to UV as an effective barrier to enable the reuse of wastewater, for indirect reuse, and aquifer recharge.
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Deployment Of NextStep In Reverse Osmosis Systems1/15/2026
Pulsafeeder has secured a significant order for its NextStep series of stepper motor-driven metering pumps, specifically for use in advanced Reverse Osmosis (RO) applications. This deployment underscores the growing demand for precision chemical dosing in high-performance water treatment systems. The order includes NextStep NS1 and NS9 models, each selected for their unique capabilities in high-pressure and low-pressure RO environments.
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Reduce Or Eliminate Water Hammer With Valve Positioners5/19/2022
Water hammer, which can occur in just about any pumping system and even steam systems, can lead to pipe breakage, equipment damage or even total system failure. Addressing water hammer at the source is the savviest and most cost-effective way to handle the issue.
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Application Note: Ozone Measurement In Potable Water3/1/2010
Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent that can be used to destroy the organic compounds that affect the taste and odor of potable water. Environmental concerns have led to increased use of ozone because, unlike chlorine, it does not form hazardous by-products.
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Ultrapure Water For Determination of Toxic Elements In Environmental Analyses4/10/2018
In this paper the importance of reagent water quality for toxic element environmental analyses is discussed, and the suitability of fresh ultrapure water produced using MilliporeSigma water purification systems for ICP-OES and ICP-MS trace element analyses in environmental laboratories is demonstrated.
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Application Note: Using Real-Time Telemetry For Ecological Monitoring Of Coastal Wetlands2/3/2011The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR)in Mississippi is one of 27 protected estuarine reserves across the United States. By YSI
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The WEDECO LBX Series is a thousand times proven, energy efficient solution for the disinfection of pressurized wastewater, surface water, process water, and other low UV transmittance liquids.
Meet HYMAX Pro dedicated size couplings – the newest addition to the HYMAX product line, designed to join the same/differing diameter plain ends without welding and/or special pipe fittings.
The PT5 is a rugged, lab-accurate water quality pocket tester with simple, one-button functionality.
The Series 1900 is designed for restraining push-on bell and spigot AWWA C909 PVC Pipe. The harness consists of two split serrated restraints one on the spigot end and another behind the bell harnessed together by an array of thrust rods. The Restraint harness is rated to the full pressure of the pipe.
The development of the PTV Series considered every aspect of process turbidity workflow - from installation and setup; daily measurement and control; routine procedures such as calibration, verification and maintenance; to data collection and management.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Avoid pitfall Planning, obstacle avoidance-GettyImages-2167644498]( "5 Common AMI Implementation Mistakes And How To Navigate Them")
The journey from manual water-meter reads to a fully integrated digital ecosystem is long and complex. To help utilities along, the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) released the global Smart Metering Playbook, which includes both implementation best practices and common pitfalls. Here are five common advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) rollout mistakes from the Playbook, along with examples of how to overcome them.
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![pregnant_water-Getty-2207189112]( "Drinking Water Contaminated With 'Forever Chemicals' During Pregnancy Linked To An Increased Risk Of Childhood Asthma")
While most of us are routinely exposed to low levels of PFAS, some communities are exposed to far higher levels from nearby pollution sources. A new study shows that in one of these at-risk communities, children were more likely to develop asthma if their mothers were exposed to very high PFAS levels during pregnancy.
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![wastewater ecological damage-GettyImages-2231956262]( "The Pragmatic Shift In Source Water Protection: Moving From Symptom Management To Root-Cause Accountability")
A shift in how we approach source water protection is long overdue. Currently, we are trapped in a cycle of escalating costs, forced to treat symptoms like algae and invasive weeds expediently with chemicals while the underlying risk in the reservoir compounds. True risk management requires breaking this cycle. -
![River water pollution, Ecological-GettyImages-1215336784]( "The AWWA Said $2.4 Trillion. It Missed The Compound Interest.")
Einstein once said of compound interest, "He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn't, pays it." The same logic of compounding applies to the organic sediment accumulating on the floor of your drinking water reservoir. The longer you wait to address it, the more exponentially expensive it becomes to fix. -
![snowystream-Getty-521971897]( "Winter's Alarmingly Low Snowpack Offers A Glimpse Of The Changing Rhythm Of Water In The Western U.S.")
The April 1 snowpack measurement has long been the single most important number in western water management, considered a strong proxy for how much water the mountains are holding in reserve. But in 2026, that savings account has been woefully deficient. -
![ColoradoRiverDam_Getty-1280300802]( "Why Colorado River Negotiations Stalled, And How They Could Resume With The Possibility Of Agreement")
Why Colorado River Negotiations Stalled, And How They Could Resume With The Possibility Of AgreementThe five most common sources of conflict between people are values, data, relationships, interests, and structure. The current Colorado River negotiations include all five.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
See how SIWA MDM user experience is easy with various billing tiles and screens to help optimize the billing processes. Quickly see billing readiness, request activity in a highly configurable dashboard.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.